The Prodigal Son
by redx2597
Summary: Everyone expected the son of the galaxy's greatest hero to be just like her. A paragon, always trying to improve the lives others and if needed, he would one day save the galaxy. This is not how it happened. Watch as one Shepard plunges the galaxy into darkness while another try's to stop him and the bonds of family are tested. FemShepard/Garrus, OC/OC.
1. Prologue

**Hi everyone! I hope everyone likes the new story, please leave a review or feel free to message me if you find any spelling or grammar mistakes.**

**Mass Effect is owned by Bioware the idea for this fanfic and all OC's are mine.**

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It had been almost two years since the end of the war with the Reapers and for most of the galaxy things were just starting to feel like they used to, for Jane Shepard things were even better. As she sat there on her couch in her new apartment she thought about just how much her life had changed. Her and Garrus getting married, her promotion to Admiral and how most of her friends were now either married or at the top of their respected fields. However, the biggest, most important change in her life had to be the little baby Turian sleeping in her arms, Atticus Shepard-Vakarian.

They had adopted a year after the war had ended, almost immediately after getting married, but they had chosen even before then, when she and Garrus had been touring the refugee camps on Palaven and they had found this little baby with no name, no home and no record of a family. She knew that from then on she would be his family; she would give him a home with more love and attention then he would ever know what to do with. Above all that, she would protect him, she would make sure no harm ever came to him and if anyone ever tried, then they would have to deal with her.

Shaking her out of her thoughts came the sounds of the small Turian she was holding.

"Hey little guy." She said as she started to caress his fringe. She smiled as he rubbed his head against her hand.

"Are you excited for your big day birthday boy? It's not every day you turn two."

As if on cue Garrus walked in thru the door with the rest of the party goers as they yelled in perfect unison. "SHEPARD!"

Jane had missed her friends, with all the rebuilding and people starting up family's most of them had been unable to keep in contact. Thankfully she had been quickly brought up to speed on what everyone was doing. Tali and Kal'Reegar had gotten married and were getting ready to have their first baby, Wrex and Bakara were getting ready for their third, Ash and James were now in a relationship and at least a dozen other stories were being told to her.

She looked into the little play area they had set up for the kids and could see Atticus, Mordin and Shepard Taylor all playing together. She laughed at how each of kids reminds her of their parents. She was having a great time, but then she looked around the room and thought about all the people who should have been there with them.

Kaidan, Mordin, Thane, Legion, Anderson, EDI and Joker, she missed them all. She had done everything she could have done to help them and part of her would always blame herself but she knew she had to stop beating herself up over that, even about Joker. When he had found out about the choice she made on the Citadel, how she had knowingly let EDI die, he had been furious with her and hadn't spoken with her since. It made her sad to think of the loss of her friends, but it couldn't be helped. The past was the past; there was no way to change that.

She had just finished talking with her mom when she felt Garrus hug her from behind.

"Having a good time?" She smiled and pushed back into his embrace.

"Yah, just thinking about all the trouble we had to go thru to get here." He laughed and turned her around looking into her emerald-green eyes.

"It was worth it thou, in the end. Right?" Her smile grew even wider and she kissed him on the scarred side of his face.

"Absolutely."


	2. Racists and Quarians

**Hi everybody, just wanted to say that the more people read my story, leave comments, favorite and follow, the faster I write. Also if you're a fan of Tali/(m)Shepard pairings then check out my other story "Mass Effect: No Control".**

**I do not own anything you see here that all belongs to bioware.**

**Enjoy!**

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*10 years later*

Atticus always did his best to be a good person, just like his parents taught him to be. He was polite, well mannered, he helped people whenever he could and never ask for anything in return. Sadly the fact that he was now sitting in the principal's office beside two very badly beaten human kids with their parents staring daggers at him was not something that reflected that side of him.

He looked up just as he heard the door open to see the faces of his parents, the two most dangerous people in the galaxy, Jane Shepard and Garrus Vakarian. The fact that the looks they were giving him could make a Krogan warlord pee itself and run crying for his mommy didn't make him feel any better.

The principle looked up from her desk to the two new comers.

"Adm. Shepard. Mr. Vakarian. Please take a seat." She said as she motioned to the two chairs beside their son. As they both sat down Garrus looked to the old Asari and asked.

"We were told over the phone that Atticus got into a fight with some of the other boys. What exactly happened?" The principle turned back to Atticus with a clearly upset expression on her face. Something he was sure would have made some other kids, maybe even some parents nervous, but he had grown up seeing his mom stare down the Council and this lady couldn't hold a candle to her on the best of days.

"Would you like to tell them or should I?" She said in that smug 'I'm better than you' attitude she always had, it made him cringe. He wasn't going to let her get the satisfaction of see him submit, if just to nock her down a peg he would win.

He turned to his parents told them everything.

"I saw Chris and Mark," he said while pointing at the two boys behind him. "pushing around Veel, one of the Quarian students. So I walked up to them and told them back off. They wouldn't and after I started arguing with them they tried to take a swing at me so I…" Atticus looked to the boys, then back at his parents and shrugged.

The anger in his parents faces receded as it was replaced with worry. In this moment of silence the principle tried to cut in.

"It doesn't matter what the other students may or may not have been doing young boy. 'IF' you thought that they 'MAY' have been bullying another student then you should have sought out the help of a teacher. There is absolutely no excuse for attacking another student."

Once she had finished her rant his mother turned to him and asked.

"Why didn't you try and find a teacher?"

"I was going to," at this point his voice dropped to a low and vicious tone. "but then I saw that there was already one nearby. He saw what they were doing but he just walked away. Of course when I start hitting the two human kids he's the first one to come running."

The look that popped up on Shepard's face as Atticus finished talking was one of pure fury. He had only ever seen her get this mad when she had to deal with the Council, he almost felt sorry for unleashing this side of her on the principle, almost.

At seeing the look that she had the principle jumped in, trying to salvage what she should have known was an already doomed situation.

"I can assure that these claims are false. The teacher in question assured us that..." she never got a chance to finish whatever it was she had to say as she was cutoff.

"I've heard enough." Shepard said in a voice so quiet and eerie that it sent shivers down the spins of everyone in the room. She grabbed Atticus's arm and walked to the door as she spook again.

"My children will no longer be going to your school. I refuse to have them be taught by bigots and racists." As soon as she said this, the old Asari tried to say something else but Shepard got right in front of her and stuck a finger in her face.

"Shut up! If I wanted to listen to your shit I may as well watch a Terra Firma ad instead! Now if you don't mind I have things to do today that don't involve dealing with xenophobic assholes!" As Shepard and Atticus walked back to the door she stopped and looked to Garrus.

"Go get Elizabeth; we'll be waiting outside."

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"So I'm not going to school anymore!?" asked Elizabeth with a huge smile on her face as they walked into their house.

Elizabeth Shepard- Vakarian was nine years old and had been adopted around the time Atticus turned four. The moment Jane and Garrus had walked into the orphanage and had first seen her they knew that they had found the newest member of their family. It was a decision that had been a huge impact on their lives but they wouldn't have had it any other way.

Sadly while Atticus had grown up to become the "golden" child, always making sure to please his parents, Elizabeth was more…adventures. There was nothing she loved to do more than push the limits of what was (or wasn't) allowed and being a "delightful" pain in the neck. While this was usually just another fun part of her personality, over time could be just a little too much. Considering how her parents had felt after leaving the school it may not have been her best decision to push on this particular matter.

"We still have to go to school." Atticus cut in trying to defuse some of the tension. "Mom and dad just don't want us going to that school anymore."

"Whatever." She said while she shrugged her shoulders. "Everyone in that school was to up tight and snobbish anyways."

At that he just sighed in defeat. He loved his sister more than anything; he even loved all those annoying pranks she would pull on him. He just wished that she could be more motivated about important things. How she was able to be a strait A student without ever doing homework, studying or paying attention in class would remain one of the galaxies greatest mysteries.

Shepard looked at her children and smiled. She could never have asked for a more perfect family. Elizabeth was growing into a strong willed, charismatic person, whatever she decided to put her mind to she would excel at it. Atticus she was certain after what she saw today that he would go to do great thing, he would never stop as he tried to help as many people as he possibly could. The way he stood up for the boy and the way he had been able to get his sister stop reminded her so much of herself when she was younger, she knew that one day he would be a great leader.

"Elizabeth, go upstairs. Atticus, go wait in the living room, your dad and I will be right there." Said Shepard after which Garrus nod.

"Looks like someone's in trouble!" Called Elizabeth in a sing song voice as rushed upstairs to her room.

Atticus slowly sat down on the sofa waiting for whatever it was his parents had planned for him. To say he was nerves would be an understatement. He watched his parents sit down beside him and was realized to see that from the look on their faces they weren't mad.

Garrus looked down at his son, part of him feeling sad, 'They grow up so fast' another part feeling nothing but pride.

"Atticus, your mom and I wanted to let you know that were not upset about what happened today at school." At hearing those words Atticus's face lit up in relief.

"You're not?"

"No, were not." Said Shepard as she put an arm around her son. "Were actually very proud of you. You stood up to help someone else no matter what others thought. You did your best to handle the situation and when that didn't work you stood your ground. You did everything you should have done and for that we are proud of you."

Atticus didn't know what to say. He had walked into the house expecting a scolding about getting into a fight; instead he found out that his parents were happy with him for what happened. So he did the only thing that he felt was appropriate for the situation, he turned and gave both his parents a hug.

"Thank you." At hearing this Garrus and Shepard looked at each other and gave their son a hug with just as much effort. After about a minute Shepard let go and looked to her son deciding he deserved some kind of reward.

"I was going to keep this a secret, let you find out when it happened, but I think after today you deserve a little something." She said with a smile on her face as Atticus turned to her with a curious look.

"Aunt Tali and Lia are coming to the Citadel next week, we talked about it and they'll be staying here for the rest of their trip. You don't mind do you?" She said with a smirk.

To say that Atticus was happy would have been an understatement. A huge smile spread across his face and he almost started bouncing on the spot. He had always had the biggest crush on Lia, Aunt Tali and Uncle Kal's daughter, the fact that they would be staying there with them was best thing he had ever heard.

"Really, their coming?! How long are they staying?! Where will they sleep?!"

After the barrage of questions from their over excited son they couldn't help but laugh. Realizing that he had once again made his feelings for the other girl very obvious he decided to look at a now very interesting point on the wall while he scratched his neck.

"Don't worry, everything is taken care of. You and Lia will get to spend a lot of time together." Garrus said as he patted his son on the back.

"Thanks." Atticus mumbled, trying to hide just how embarrassed he was.

"Why don't you go upstairs and play with your sister for a bit while I get dinner ready ok?" Shepard said as she patted her son on the head.

"Sure, I'll go make sure she doesn't break anything." Said Atticus as he made his way up stairs.

Shepard just smiled as Garrus came up beside her and pulled them into a hug.

"You know Jane, I think we raised a couple of great kids." He said as he rubbed his forehead against hers. They both smiled as they heard there children laughing.

"Yes we did."


End file.
